Matthew Nelson
A GPS navigation satellite built by Lockheed Martin has been installed atop United Launch Alliance“™s Delta 4 rocket prior to its scheduled takeoff on Aug. 22, Spaceflight Now reported Friday.
After completing its final tests at Astrotech“™s processing facility in Florida, the GPS 3 SV02 Magellan satellite was delivered via an over-the-road transport platform to Cape Canaveral. ULA then lifted the satellite from the rocket“™s payload fairing to proceed to the launch“™s final phase.
Delta 4 will use two strap-on solid rocket boosters to deploy Magellan to its target orbit over 12K miles above the Earth“™s surface.
Recently, ULA moved the rocket“™s launch from its initial schedule of July 25, intending to eliminate any potential faults in the upper stage after a part exhibited unusual voltage during a ground demonstration at the component“™s manufacturer.
The company is slated to replace the Delta 4-Medium rocket with the Atlas 5 launcher after the former“™s final mission.
